Chasing Cars
by jyvonne13
Summary: It's been three years since Arnold and Helga ended their first try at a relationship. Both of them are trying to move on but maybe those old feelings haven't been completely lost. Who is Arnold's new girlfriend? What does Helga do about it? And will the rekindle their old romance?
1. Chapter 1

**So this was an idea that was supposed to be written over a year ago. I had been on a huge Hey Arnold streak and after watching The Journal and knowing The Jungle Movie was at one point supposed to be a thing, as well as my compulsive need to finish series' that I deem incomplete, I really wanted to do this. But alas The Jungle Movie was not a thing and I didn't know where to go with it so I left it undone.**

 **Then a week ago I was scrolling through TV channels and The Jungle Movie was on! I had NO idea they were actually making this movie and it was absolutely AMAZING! And of course, I was inspired to finish the story I'd had in mind for a really long time.**

 **I've never written a Hey Arnold story before despite it being one of my favorite 90s Nick shows...one of my favorite shows in general honestly. And I've always shipped Arnold and Helga, especially after watching The Jungle Movie.**

 **So sit back, enjoy, and let me know what you think of it!**

Chapter 1:

Helga walked down the street with Phoebe carrying pool bags and towels with their flip flops slapping the hot pavement. They were on their way to Rhonda's mansion for her annual end of summer pool party.

Helga was dreading it.

It wasn't so much the pool party itself she dreaded. She welcomed any opportunity to spend time with her friends and Rhonda's pool parties never disappointed. She was fully prepared to beat Gerald in a swimming race across the pool, beat Harold in a pizza eating contest, and have some reason to chase Curly around the yard whacking him with pool noodles. All of those things she looked forward to. What she dreaded was one person who would surely be there: Arnold.

He had spent the summer on a trip to San Lorenzo with his parents. She hadn't seen him since the last day of school in May and their last interaction hadn't gone well.

It had been three years since they ended their first try at a relationship. They had gone on a class trip to San Lorenzo at the end of their fifth grade year and through a long series of events, she confessed her undying love for him, helped to wake his parents from the sleeping sickness that had infected the Green-Eyed People, and they'd had their first kiss. It was the moment she had always dreamed of and the relationship that followed was something out of her wildest dreams.

It stayed that way for a little while. She was an idiot and she knew it. She was terrible at expressing feelings, and she hated herself to this day for not being able to give the one guy who had ever given her the time of day the love that he so effortlessly showed to her. They dated for one year, nine months, and three days. He ended things the week before their 7th grade homecoming dance. She cried her eyes out for days behind closed doors. She told everyone she was sick so she wouldn't have to go to that dance and see him and risk breaking down in tears in front of him. They didn't speak for a month after that. By December they would at least say hi to each other in the hallways. Eventually they were able to play on the same softball team and sit next to each other at lunch without feeling too awkward. But everytime she saw him, a lump formed in her throat and she wondered what their life would have been like now if she was a more sensitive person.

Despite all of this, she never got over him. Her shrine to him in her closet was still in tact and sitting by it at night while she wrote poetry about him and fantasized about what could have been brought her a little bit of comfort. She got jealous whenever she saw him talk to another girl, even though as far as she knew he hadn't dated anyone since her. She kept herself updated on his life through Phoebe who was still dating his best friend Gerald.

It wasn't enough though. She knew that the only way she was going to have some kind of closure in her life was to tell him how she felt.

One day, in May, she came out of class and froze when she saw him at his locker. She looked at him for a moment, heart pounding.

"Come on Helga, you can do this," she said to herself. "It's just football head." She walked towards him not paying attention to where she was going as she thought of what she was going to say.

The next thing she knew she collided with someone and her stuff was all over the floor. "Shit!" she exclaimed as she bent down to pick her things up.

"I'm sorry, let me…"

When she looked up she was face to face with him. A few strands of blonde hair fell into his face. She became lost in his green eyes. Their faces were inches away from each other, she could feel his breath on her face, it still smelled like spearmint. She could have leaned in and kissed him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

He picked up all of her books and papers and they stood up. He handed her her stuff back. She shivered as his hand brushed against hers. He didn't move it. He also didn't remove his gaze from hers. Her heart was pounding and her face was burning. She cursed herself for allowing anyone, let alone him, to have this kind of effect on her.

He inched closer to her. "Helga, I…"

He what? Was he sorry? Did he want to get back with her? Or was he going to tell her that he still hated her and all of the hopes and dreams she'd had since kindergarten were nothing but jokes? All she knew was that her heart couldn't handle the latter. Instead of pulling him in for a kiss like she so desperately wanted to do, she glared at him and snatched her hand back.

"How about you watch where you're going football head?!" she spat at him.

The gentle look in his eyes was immediately replaced with a glare of his own. "Never mind." He stomped past her and didn't look back.

She watched him walk down the hallway. "What is wrong with me?" she whispered to herself. She had probably ruined her chance to get back together with him. She watched him turn the corner. He didn't turn around. He didn't come back to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay like he used to.

She walked back in the opposite direction holding back tears.

He didn't speak to her anymore after that. Normally they would at least make eye contact in the hallways, but now he wouldn't even glance in her direction. Did she really mess up that badly?

"What's up with you?" Phoebe asked her as they were leaving school at the end of the day.

"What do you mean what's up with me?" she said focusing her sad gaze straight ahead so she wouldn't give anything away.

But of course Phoebe was her best friend and she knew when Helga was trying to hide something. "You've been so quiet. What's wrong? Is it Arnold?"

Helga looked at her shock. "What makes you think it's Arnold?!" she said defensively.

"It's _always_ Arnold."

She sighed. "I blew it Phoebs. I tried to talk to him last week and tell him I miss him and...I ruined it. I miss him and...I don't know how to make him see it."

"Well if you like him, you'd better go ahead and tell him. Gerald told me he might go out with Lila."

"WHAT?!" Helga shouted earning stares from a few people. She gripped Phoebe by the shoulders. "You've got to be kidding me! Tell me you're joking!"

"Well, apparently he wants to move on and since Lila is always flirting with him…"

Helga ran her hands through her hair. "This is _not_ happening. I've got to go find him."

They exited the school and Helga froze at the top of the stairs when she saw Arnold and Lila talking. He had his hands in his pockets and that warm smile on his face while Lila looked at him coyly and tossed her hair. Helga's hands clenched into fists when Lila made him laugh.

"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything Helga...Helga?" Phoebe saw her walking towards them and knew this couldn't be good.

Arnold walked off to go home and Lila was left looking after him. Helga was going to give her a piece of her mind. "Hey, Lila!"

Lila turned to face her and the smirk was clear on her face. "Oh, hello Helga."

"Who do you think you are?!" Helga said angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lila said innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me! What's with you talking to Arnold?"

Lila twisted a strand of red hair around her finger. "Well Helga, as far as I know you broke up with Arnold, um, excuse me, _he_ broke up with you. He's allowed to talk to whoever he wants and if he wants to date someone else then who are you to tell him he can't?" She tossed her hair so that Helga caught a whiff of her shampoo. "Quite frankly, I think he'd be better off with a girl who can actually show him that she cares about him, don't you think?"

With that she walked off leaving Helga steaming with anger.

The last time she saw him was on the last day of the school year. They were in the same class taking their last final exam. He sat a few seats in front of her in the next row over so she could see him perfectly and she was distracted for the entire test. Through answering easy English questions, poetry and creative writing were her strong point, she was formulating what she was going to say to him and willing herself to not mess up. She finished her test early but waited until he was done before getting up to turn in her test.

He left the room and she followed close behind him. "Hey, Arnold," she said when they were out of the classroom.

"Oh, hey Helga," he said sticking his hands in his pockets. She knew it was his nervous habit. He wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"Some test huh?"

"Yeah, I wrote about 'The Raven' compared to all the other stuff we read."

"Me too!" He had always shared her love of poetry and she was thrilled to know that he still did.

A smile touched his face. Maybe she still had a chance. "Arnold...listen, I…"

"Helga, I really have to go. My parents and I are going to San Lorenzo for the summer and I have to get ready to go."

Her heart sank. "For the _whole_ summer?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...I'll be back at the end of August."

"Oh, I see," she said disappointedly. If he was going away for the whole summer there was no way he could be dating Lila...right? Well...have fun."

Helga and Phoebe approached Rhonda's mansion where music could be heard from the backyard. "Do you think _he'll_ be here?" Helga asked.

"I'm not sure," Phoebe said. She noticed how distressed her friend looked. "Look, Helga, don't worry about it. Whether he's here or not, just try to have fun."

Helga nodded and tried to pull herself together. "I'll be fine."

They went into the backyard and Rhonda, looking like a supermodel in a red string bikini greeted them. "Oh my god, you're finally here! It's about time!"

Helga scanned the yard. Nadean and Sheena were dancing with Sid and Stinky to "Cake By The Ocean." Harold pushed Eugene into the pool and he promptly panicked and thought he was drowning even though he was in three feet of water. Then she saw him. He was sitting in a pool chair with Gerald drinking cans of Sprite and laughing at Eugene. He looked even more handsome than she remembered. He must have just gotten out of the pool because his hair was damp. He wore a pair of blue swim trunks with Hawaiian flowers on them. He wasn't as thin and lanky as she remembered, he had gained a bit of muscle over the summer. And he had gotten quite a tan in San Lorenzo.

She started to dread the party even more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Arnold had had a fantastic summer. As soon as he was done with his last final exam in May, he went home to pack his things and he and his parents had taken a long trip to San Lorenzo. It was so much fun getting to know the Green-Eyed People better and going on expeditions with Miles and Stella. He had learned the formula for the sleeping potions to protect the Green-Eyed People in their absence, brought various medicines to other Native South American tribes, helped with countless experiments, and explored lots of ancient temples and ruins. He'd grown close one Green-Eyed girl who he soon found out had fallen in love with him.

He had helped Miles create a poison antidote for a Green-Eyed man who had been bitten by a snake and was helped Stella administer it. The middle aged man was lying in bed with green skin and bloodshot eyes. It honestly freaked Arnold out a bit but the man would die if they didn't help. He and Stella sat next to his bed and Stella pressed a warm cloth to his head.

"You're going to be fine Rodrigo," Stella said. "Miles will be done with the antidote any minute."

Suddenly Miles came into the room carrying a syringe. "It's all done." He handed the syringe to Stella.

"Bless you Miles," the Green-Eyed man croaked.

Stella held out his arm. "Do you want to do it Arnold?"

"Sure, what do I do?"

"Just inject it into his vein right there."

Arnold injected the medicine into the blue vein that was pressed against his green tinted skin. The man immediately stopped shaking and his skin started turning back to it's normal color.

"Good job son," Miles said.

Stella tucked the man in and gave him some water. "Rest for a few days. You'll be good as new soon."

They left the hut and the Green-Eyed girl, Lianna, was waiting for him.

"Arnold!"

He went over to her. "Hey Lianna."

The two started walking.

"How is Senor Rodrigo?"

"He's going to be fine. My dad's medicine is working right now."

"Good, he's like a father to me. I don't know what I would do if he died." They walked along a river. Lianna was pretty. Her caramel skin glowed in the sun, she had long silky black hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and she had the signature green eyes of the Green-Eyed People.

He threw a rock into the river and it skipped four times.

"Arnold...have you ever liked a girl?" she asked.

The first person Arnold thought of was Helga. He threw another rock as if throwing his thoughts into the river. That ship had sailed a long time ago. "I have."

"Do you still like her?"

"We ended things a while ago," he said still thinking of Helga as much as he tried not to.

Lianna held his hand. "Would you ever want to be with anyone else?"

Her bright green eyes bore into his. "Lianna…"

Next thing he knew her lips were on his. He wasn't expecting it. Her lips were soft though. He closed his eyes but couldn't make himself get into the kiss. His mind was in so many different places right now. He and Lila had made things official within the last few days of school a month ago and had been texting since he'd been in San Lorenzo but his heart was really with another girl no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

He pulled away from Lianna. "Lianna I...I'm sorry but I can't."

She looked disappointed. "Is there someone else?"

"Yes, there is." Technically there was Lila but he wondered if he really liked Lila after all. He wiped Lianna's tears away gently. "Hey, you're a great girl. I still wanna be your friend. Is that cool?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, we can be friends."

He'd left San Lorenzo a few days ago and had arrived back home. After being in such an exotic place and doing cool things all summer, being home seemed way less interesting to him. But one thing was for sure, he was happy to be back with his friends.

"Eugene, you're not drowning!" Arnold called to Eugene who had just been pushed into the pool by Harold. He didn't listen and continued to freak out and Arnold couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, it was definitely good to be home.

"Phoebe is on her way," Gerald said putting his phone down.

"Sweet," Arnold said taking another sip of his Sprite.

"Helga is with her."

Arnold looked out over the pool as if this didn't bother him. "Cool."

"Did you talk to her at all over the summer?"

"Nope. She didn't text me or anything, so why should I have texted her?"

"Well i recall you saying you wanted to get back with her so I was just wondering."

Arnold had missed Helga for a long time and a few months before he left for San Lorenzo he had finally come to grips with the fact that maybe he had made a mistake by breaking up with her. Sure Helga was abrasive, but she had a lot of other good qualities as 'd been the happiest when he was with her and he wanted her back. He was sure she would reject him if he told her how he really felt but he knew he would never get any closure if he didn't at least tell her.

That day she bumped into him in the hallway, he had locked eyes with her and he felt that spark between them. They were so close, it took everything he had to resist kissing her right then and there. He had picked up her stuff and when he handed it back to her, his hand touched hers. He didn't bother to move it, he hadn't touched her in so long he didn't want to lose the warmth of her hand. She was looking at him, waiting for him to say something. The moment was right, he knew it. He was going to tell her how he felt and everything was finally going to be okay between them.

"Helga, I…"

Then she snatched her hand back and glared at him. "How about you watch where you're going football head?!"

The moment was lost. The spark he had felt was gone. So this was how it was going to be? Maybe this meant that he and Helga weren't meant to get back together and there was no use in him trying. "Never mind."

He walked off feeling heartbroken. He missed her. He still loved her. She was the first girl who ever truly captured his heart. But if she still hated him, what could he do? Maybe it really was time to move on.

Lila had been flirting with him for a long time. He knew she definitely liked him, but he hadn't been ready. He had been hoping that he and Helga would still happen. Now that he knew they would never get back together, he decided he couldn't be sad forever. It was time to move on with a girl who really liked him and showed interest in him.

With a push from Gerald, he finally got up the guts to ask Lila to go out with him.

"Arnold, you look ever so handsome today," Lila said batting her eyelashes as he passed by her when he entered the school a few days before the end of the year.

He cursed himself for blushing. "And you look beautiful today Lila." Lila really was beautiful. She was very feminine with her red hair cascading down her back, she worse a short denim skirt and a red top, and she wore a bit of makeup that really brought out her turquoise eyes.

She walked with him down the hallway. "I wish the final English assignment wasn't poetry, don't you? It's so annoying."

Okay, so she didn't like poetry. He could overlook that. "I can help you with it, it's really easy once you get the hang of it."

She ran her fingers across his cheek flirtatiously. "Aren't you the sweetest thing?"

He held her hand. "Do you want to go out with me Lila?"

"Of course Arnold!" she said excitedly.

The last person he saw before he left for San Lorenzo was Helga. Old feelings began to creep back in, especially when they talked about the poetry question on the test. He caught himself smiling and wanting to kiss her. He couldn't do this. He couldn't put himself through this anymore. He was with Lila now and that was how things were supposed to be. He cut Helga off mid sentence knowing that if he stayed and talked to her longer he would lose his will. He needed to get away from her for a while so that these feelings he'd had for such a long time would subside.

He spent three months in San Lorenzo and spent a lot of time texting and Facetiming with Lila. He'd all but forgotten about Helga and he was happy with it...until he saw her walk into Rhonda's backyard.

Her blonde hair was pulled back into a long braid tossed over her shoulder. She wore a pink bikini top and a pair of jean shorts. He didn't remember her being quite this curvy and the way she glowed in the sun captivated him. As she walked over with Phoebe he tried to calm his heart beat.

"Hey guys," Phoebe said.

"Hey baby," Gerald said giving her a kiss.

"How was your trip Arnold?" Phoebe asked.

"It was incredible."

"He explored a haunted temple," Gerald said.

"No way!"

"Yeah, it was really cool." Arnold went on to explain what happened and he was happy to have something else to talk about. Yet he couldn't help but glance every now and then at Helga who was standing on the other side of Gerald listening intently to his story. He wondered what she was thinking.

As soon as he was done telling the story he was doused with a bucket of cold water. "AHH!" He looked back and saw Stinky and Sid running off laughing. "You guys are _so_ dead!" he exclaimed jumping up to run after them.

After chasing them around and hitting them over the head with water balloons he was stopped by a sweet, angelic voice.

"Arnold."

He turned and saw Lila behind him. Her hair hung in ringlets over her shoulders and she wore a lime green bikini that he couldn't help but admire. "Lila." He went over to her and held her close to him, pulling her in for a kiss.

"I've missed you ever so much," she said running her fingers through his wet hair.

"I've missed you too baby," he said giving her another kiss. All his problems seemed to be gone and it was like summer again. Just him and Lila, only this time they could finally be face to face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The first day of school quickly approached on the following Monday. Helga desperately hoped she didn't, and at the same time hoped she did, have any classes with Arnold. Especially after that pool party.

When she was listening to him tell his story about exploring the ancient temple in San Lorenzo she thought this would be easy. She could be around him without feeling upset or desperately wanting to kiss him. Maybe she would even confess to him, finally, that she missed him and wanted him back.

Not even five minutes later she looked up and saw him kissing Lila! Her heart broke into a million pieces. So it was true, he was with Lila now and her chances of ever being with him again were gone. The way they never left each other's side for the entire party made her sick, the way they kissed made her almost throw up. She noticed he would gently stroke her hand with his thumb when they sat together with their hands interlaced. He always did that to _her_! It made her heart splinter even more.

But one thing was for sure, she couldn't let anyone see how much this really affected her, especially him. She put on an extra aggressive facade for the remainder of the party. She cussed out Harold the first chance she got and punched Brainy in the face extra hard.

School wasn't going to be any exception. She walked into school with Phoebe and the first thing she did when she walked up the steps to the school was push Eugene off into a trash can.

"I'm okay!" he exclaimed.

She threw open the door and didn't care that it hit Curly in the face and broke his glasses.

"Hey Helga…!" Sheena said.

Helga gave her a glare so ferocious she shied away and walked off.

"So, um…" Phoebe said hesitantly surprised by how aggressive Helga was being. "What's your first class?"

"Biology," Helga replied.

"Hey, me too!" Phoebe said excitedly.

"Great, we can make fun of Mrs. Murphy's butt together," Helga said with a laugh.

They continued down the hallway to their lockers.

"There's Gerald and Arnold!" Phoebe said pointing ahead of them.

Helga's heart pounded when she saw Arnold there leaning against his locker with his hands in his pockets talking to Gerald. The two did their special handshake and laughed. Gerald noticed her and Phoebe approaching first and waved them over.

"I'm going to class," Helga said turning in the opposite direction.

"Class is this way…"

"I'll go the long way." As hard as she tried to not let him bother her he still got the better of her and she hated herself for it.

15 minutes later class was about to start. She had been the first one there which almost never happened. As the five minute bell ran, Phoebe walked in laughing with Arnold. Helga swore under her breath. Of course he would be in her first class of the day. She put up a notebook to shield her face but that didn't stop them from sitting in the row next to her. Luckily she was saved from having to say anything when the teacher came in to start class. Arnold didn't look at her the entire time and in a way she was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

Lunchtime came around and she didn't have any more classes with Arnold thankfully. She went through the lunch line and walked over to the table where Phoebe sat flipping Eugene's tray out of his hands for a good measure.

"Hey Helga," Lila said as she passed her table. Lila sat close to Arnold, one hand laced in his and the other running her fingers through his hair.

"What do you want?" Helga said through her teeth.

"Don't you think Arnold's hair looks ever so handsome today?" she said with a smirk. Clearly she was trying to rub it into Helga's face.

Helga clenched her fist as she realized there was one of two things she could have done. She could have dropped her tray and jumped Lila on the spot, punching her in the face and pulling out that annoyingly luscious mane of red hair. Or she could have handled this in a more grown up way. Option one would have been way more satisfying, but it would give Lila way too much satisfaction knowing that she got under her skin.

So she casually gave Lila the finger. "Fuck off Lila," she said before walking off to sit with Phoebe.

She didn't think that her day could possibly get any worse. As hard as she tried not to all she could think about was what things would be like if she were in Lila's place.

As she was walking to her final class of the day she realized that she spoke too soon. As she turned the corner, she saw Arnold and Lila by his locker making out! What was worse was that she noticed his finger was looped around the belt loop on her skirt. He'd done that to her! He used to hold her close, his lips exploring hers in the gentle affectionate way he would have with her, and his finger would hook around her belt loop in his little way of bringing her closer to him.

She was nearly shaking with anger and sadness. Even worse, Lila opened her eyes and saw her standing there. Helga could see her smirk and she gave her the finger behind Arnold's back just as Helga had done to her earlier that day.

Helga couldn't take it anymore. She walked past them as fast as she could, walked around another corner and locked herself in the janitors closet.

She sat on the floor and pulled her gold locket out of her pocket. It still contained a picture of him, although she had changed it from his fourth grade yearbook picture to his tenth grade picture. Her tears fell onto the picture.

"Oh Arnold, how could this have happened to us?" she said. "It was supposed to be _us_ together. We could have been so happy." Her tears were coming so fast now she didn't bother to keep trying to wipe them away. "I don't know what you see in that stupid bitch...whatever it is maybe, somehow, she's better for you than I am. If you want her, you can keep her." She hugged the locket against her chest. "No matter what, I still love you."

All of a sudden she heard deep, raspy breathing behind her. She rolled her eyes back so far she almost saw the back of her head. She didn't even have to look back to know that Brainy was right over her shoulder. Her fist collided with his face as had long since become routine.

Next thing she knew the bell rang and it was time for her last class of the day.

She arrived home after school and found Miriam laying on the couch incoherent as always.

"Helga is that you?" she said.

Helga sighed exasperatedly. "Just go back to sleep Miriam." She stomped upstairs past the endless framed pictures of Olga. When she arrived in her room she slammed the door behind her and threw her backpack on the floor. Then she went into her closet and turned on the light. Behind her clothes was her shrine to Arnold. She dropped to her knees in front of it overcome with emotions she had been trying to hard to hold in.

She looked into his eyes that were made out of buttons and sighed.

"It's over," she said. "You've moved on. You're happy now...and I can't take that away from you. I need to move on too."

She picked up her baseball bat from the corner of the closet. She hesitated. This had been her obsession for years. What would she do now? It didn't matter. He was over her, nothing mattered anymore.

She brought down the bat and destroyed the shrine piece by piece. After smashing it to bits she picked up the stack of love poems she had written to him. The first rip was like ripping her heart in half. She didn't stop until the shreds of paper littered the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Arnold could honestly say that he was really happy. Things were going really well with Lila and he liked her a lot. He was slowly but surely getting over Helga. He thought about her every now and then, and maybe deep down he still loved her more than Lila, but he ignored those feelings. It was about time he moved on and so far it was working.

There was a baseball game that Saturday, the first of the season. He'd always loved sports. Being out on the field was exhilarating to him and today he was ready to kick ass.

"Good luck," Lila said before the game started. The two stood right next to the field and she adjusted his baseball cap affectionately.

He pressed his forehead to hers. "Thanks baby."

She took his face in her hands and gave him a long kiss. "I love you Arnold."

"I love you too."

"Hey Arnold! Come on!" Gerald exclaimed waving him over to the field.

She gave him one last kiss and he walked over to the field with a permanent smile plastered onto his face. It was all the encouragement he needed.

"Could you be any more head over heels?" Gerald said elbowing him in the ribs.

Arnold tried to shake himself out of his trance. "She's amazing."

"Hey, I'm just glad you're happy now. It's better than seeing moping around all the time like you were last year."

The game finally started. When he was up at the plate he made eye contact with Lila up in the bleachers. She blew him a kiss. It made him smile even wider. He also noticed Helga sitting a few rows down. Her hair was in two messy ponytails, her old converse sneakers were untied, and she was eating a snow cone. It was blue raspberry, her favorite. Looking at her made his heart beat fast. He shook the thoughts out of his head. He was supposed to be over her, why did she make him feel this way?

He missed the first throw.

"Come on Arnold!" his team shouted from behind him.

Alright, no more thinking about Helga and Lila. It was time to get his head in the game.

He missed the next throw.

What the hell was wrong with him?

The pitcher threw the final ball. He hit it as hard as he could. It flew at lightning speed over the field. He took off running. He passed first. The ball was still soaring. He made it past second. Everyone was cheering for him. The ball hit the ground. The outfield was scrambling to grab it. He made it to third. They threw the ball to home. He took a chance and started to run to fourth. Almost there. He slid. Dust blew up around him. He touched fourth base just before the ball was caught.

Everyone was cheering.

"Arnold! Arnold! Arnold!"

He walked off the field with a sense of triumph. He had made the first homerun of the game. Things could only go uphill from there.

It was now halftime. The cheerleaders were dancing on the field. Arnold and his team went off to get water and talk to their friends.

"Hey Arnold, isn't that your girl talking to a senior?" Sid said pointing to the bleachers.

"What?" Sure enough Lila was standing very close to one of the hottest senior guys, Lars. She giggled and tossed her hair flirtatiously. What the hell was going on? He forced himself to not get angry, this didn't necessarily mean anything. He walked over calmly yet defensively only to hear Lila giggle again.

"Hey baby," he said coming up behind her. He put his arm around her and put his finger through her belt loop, glaring at Lars for a good measure.

"Oh hey Arnold," she said innocently. "I was just telling Lars what an ever so fantastic baseball player you are...right Lars?"

"Yeah, totally," Lars said adjusting his sunglasses. "See ya later Lila."

Arnold watched him walk off unsure what to think about that interaction. He then looked at Lila suspiciously. "You're friends with him?"

"He was an old flame," she said nonchalantly. "Don't look at me like that, I can't have other guy friends?"

"I never said that."

"Good, because I know you talk to Helga all the time."

"I haven't spoken to Helga in weeks."

She crossed her arms. "I'm sure."

"Lila, I'm over Helga, you know that." He ran his fingers across her freckled cheek. "She doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

She smiled. "I know. You'd better be. Helga's a loser anyway. You deserve so much better." She leaned in and gave him a kiss.

He held her and kissed her back although he didn't agree that Helga was a loser. She was really cool and fun when she wanted to be. But that didn't matter, all that mattered was Lila.

The game resumed and P.S. 119 won by a landslide. After changing his clothes in the locker room, he came back out to find Lila and instead he ran into Helga.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

He stepped to the side to go around her although she had the same idea and moved in the same direction. Both went the other way, then back to the other side.

"Do you mind if I…?"

"Yeah…"

After a few more rounds of going back and forth, he finally put his hands on her shoulders and gently moved her aside. They stood there for a moment, their eyes locked on one another. She wore no makeup, her jeans were ripped in the knees, and loose strands of hair hung around her face. Everything about her was so effortless. He realized his hands were still on her shoulders and he quickly let go of her. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she said rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Good game. That was a great homerun."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. No matter how many times he said to himself he was over her, she still got to him this way.

Suddenly Lila was by his side. "What do we have here? Flirting with my man, huh Helga?"

Helga crossed her arms. "You wish."

"Really Helga, why don't you go find another guy to hang around? Oh yeah, that's right, no one wants to date you."

Helga clenched her fist. "You know what Lila…?

"Lila…" Arnold began. Sure he wasn't with Helga anymore but he wasn't going to let his new girlfriend insult her.

"What?!" Lila said to him.

"Let's just go home. Come on." He gave Helga an apologetic look and then led Lila away from her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

It was almost time for homecoming at P.S. 119. This meant two things, Rhonda had announced her big homecoming house party and everyone was scrambling to find dates to the homecoming dance.

Neither of those things meant much to Helga. The only person who had ever taken her to any dance was Arnold and she didn't expect that to change anytime soon. Quite frankly she didn't care to have a date anyway. There was no way Arnold would take her now that he was so clearly head over heels for Lila and she wasn't interested in any other boy in school. They were either too weird or too annoying.

She also wasn't very interested in Rhonda's party. There were a million things she'd rather do than go to a crowded house party and watch her classmates see how drunk they can get and make fools of themselves. She would pass on both.

"You're not going to Rhonda's party, are you?" Helga asked Phoebe during lunch one day.

"I'm not sure yet, are you?" she asked.

"Of course not, are you kidding me?" Helga said. "Let's spend the night at your house and watch some bad movies."

"Works for me."

Rhonda came over to them with Nadean and sat across from them. "So you're coming to my party, right?" she asked.

"Well…" Phoebe began.

"Everyone is going to be there."

"It's going to be the best party of the year," Nadean said.

"If we go, will you get off our backs about it?" Helga said annoyed.

"I knew you'd say yes!" Rhonda said.

"Wait, what?"

"It's gonna be fun," Nadean said. "And maybe we'll find dates to the homecoming dance there."

"I already have a date, thanks," Phoebe said.

"Well not you, I meant Helga."

Helga snorted. "Who says I need a date?"

"Everyone needs a date."

"You don't want to be the only girl without a date, right?" Rhonda said.

"Unlike all you other basic chicks my life goal isn't to have some asshole guy on my arm to smooch for one night and never speak to again."

"Fine, but it'll be a lonely night for you, that's for sure," Rhonda said. She stood up to leave. "Come on Nadean."

The bell rang for lunch to end. Helga knew she didn't need a date. She wasn't desperate. Besides, she couldn't think of anyone who she would want to go with, or who would even ask her.

She took her place at her desk for her next class. That's when Iggy came over and sat in front of her. "'Sup Helga?"

"Hey Iggy."

"So homecoming is next week."

"Yeah, so?"

"So...do you want to go with me?"

Helga looked at him in shock. "You want to go with me?"

"Why not? You're cool and I'm cool and we both need dates, right?"

Helga wasn't sure. She couldn't see herself dancing the night away with him. Her fantasies of dancing with one guy were preventing her from saying yes even though she knew that would never happen. "Iggy...I'll think about it. Okay?"

"Yeah, no prob," Iggy said. "Let me know by the end of the day." He got up and went to his seat across the room.

She sat with her face in her hand deep in thought for the rest of class. Iggy was an okay guy, maybe not exactly her type, but he was the only guy who had asked her to go to the dance. Arnold was going with Lila obviously, there was no way he would want to take her and she knew it. Why, after all this time, was she still hung up over him?

Her thoughts drifted back to when they were actually together. It wasn't too long after getting back from San Lorenzo. It was a nice day outside so their group of friends decided to go to Gerald Field to play a game of baseball. Arnold was captain of one team and she wanted to be captain of the other.

"You don't want to be on my team?" he asked.

"I would, but I want to kick your ass," she replied with a smirk. "Think of it as revenge for you beating me in chess yesterday."

He kissed her cheek. "Challenge accepted."

They picked their teams and got started with the game. So far her revenge plan was working, her team was winning. She was in the outfield. Arnold was at the plate. She couldn't help but admire how handsome he was. He had grown a little bit over the past few months so he was almost eye level with her. His hair was extra thick and shiny. And the look of concentration on his face as he hit the ball was extra attractive.

Because she was spending so much time looking at him, she wasn't paying attention to the ball. Just as she noticed it flying towards her, she was too late to catch it and it hit her in the head. Suddenly everything went black.

The first thing she heard when she came back to consciousness was the sound of Arnold's voice.

"Helga! Helga, are you okay?!"

She blinked her eyes open. Arnold was bent down holding her in his arms while all their friends stood around them.

"Helga, speak to me! Are you okay?!" he said clearly panicking.

"I-I'm fine."

"Good." He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're okay. I love you."

She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or not. "What did you say?"

He looked into her eyes. "I love you Helga."

It was real. He wasn't lying. He really did love her! "I love you too Arnold."

Or maybe it was the last dance they had gone to.

They went to sixth grade homecoming together. He picked her up from her house. He looked incredible in the new suit he wore with his hair brushed down. He brought flowers for her. Miriam made them pose for pictures and both of them felt incredibly awkward. But finally they were released to go to the dance.

"You look really beautiful," Arnold said as they walked out the door.

Helga was blushing profusely. "Thanks." She actually felt beautiful for once in her life. She had made an effort for him to comb her hair and tweeze her eyebrow so that it kind of looked like she had two. She couldn't bring herself to wear the heels Miriam and Olga had picked out for her so she was wearing converse sneakers. Hearing him say she was beautiful meant the world to her.

Miles drove them to the school for the dance and they had an amazing time. They danced the night away and had refreshments and took lots of pictures with their friends. They were in the middle of the floor dancing when all of a sudden a slow dance came on, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.

"I love this song," she said.

"I do too," Arnold said. He pulled her close for a slow dance. His arms were around her waist, she put hers around his neck. Being so close to him like this, looking into his deep green eyes, it was like there was nothing else in the world but them. It was what every single one of her dreams had been made of since she first met him in kindergarten. It was better than anything she could have dreamed up.

"We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own

We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me  
and just forget the world?

But he'd also broken up with her before the next homecoming dance.

"I can't do this anymore," he said after school one day.

"Do what?!"  
"Why can't you ever be kind, just for once in your life?"

"What are you saying football head? That I'm not good enough for you?!"

"That's not what I'm saying at all!"

"Then what are you saying?!"

"I'm saying that I wish you wouldn't be so mean to me. I've put up with a lot but I can't take it anymore."

She was mean to him. She didn't mean to be. She didn't know how else to be around him sometimes, she had become so used to it. "Well newsflash Arnoldo, either take it or leave it!"

He glared at her angrily. Oh no, maybe that was the wrong thing to say.

"Fine, I'm breaking up with you." With that he turned and walked off.

"Fine Arnold! I don't need you anyway!"

She did need him. She knew she did. What could she possibly say now to make him stay?

That was a long time ago but it had stuck with her for so long. She had sabotaged the best thing that had ever happened to her. She sabotaged every good thing she had just because she couldn't figure out how to keep it. Her relationship with Arnold had been shattered into a million pieces, but maybe she could make the next thing work, whatever that was.

She left the classroom and ducked behind a stairwell before pulling her heart locket out of her pocket. Her heart ached when she looked at Arnold's picture. "Arnold, my love, it's all over. You've moved on and nothing I can say or do will make you want to come back to me. I'm sorry. For everything. I love you. But I need to move on too."

She stood up and tossed the locket into a trash can. She walked five feet away and realized she wasn't ready to do something so extreme to an object that she'd held close to her for many years. She reached into the trashcan and stuck it back into her pocket. She would do away with it later.

Instead she went off to find Iggy. She passed by a classroom and saw a flash of red hair out the corners of her eyes and a giggle. She back tracked and gasped as what she saw through the window on the door. Lila was in the classroom making out with a guy. But it wasn't Arnold!

It was the senior, Lars, from the baseball game. She was sitting on a desk and he stood in front of her. Her arms were around his neck and they were locked in a deep kiss. He ran his hands up her bare legs and up her denim skirt.

Helga gasped. That cheating skank! She suddenly felt protective of Arnold. The football head was so naive, he had no idea his girlfriend was cheating on him! Helga's first thought was to tell him but something stopped her. Arnold wasn't her problem anymore. It wasn't her business if his girlfriend was cheating on him. He would have to figure it out on her own, she was done.

Instead she went to find Iggy at his locker.

"Hey, Iggy."

"'Sup Helga?"

"I'll go with you."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The night of Rhonda's party arrived. Helga walked up to Rhonda's house with Phoebe that night. They could hear the music a block away.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Helga said.

"Well we don't have to stay all night," Phoebe pointed out. "Just long enough to show our faces and then we can leave."

They went up to the door and Helga's ears were nearly blown out by the loud music.

"Yay, you're here!" Rhonda exclaimed as she walked over to them. "Come in, get some drinks, have fun!"

The music was blasting some rap song and people were dancing, some were shotgunning beers by the massive drink table, some people were playing spin the bottle, and some were just hanging out talking.

Sheena came over to them and handed them cups of blue liquid. "Try this, I made it myself!"

Helga took a sip and immediately spit it out. It was the most nauseating thing she ever tried. "What the hell is it?!"

"It's my own special creation, I call it Mermaid Water."

"More like sewer water," Helga mumbled to Phoebe who giggled.

They made their rounds talking to people and refusing the drinks. Helga wondered where they got all of this from, none of them were nearly old enough to buy anything from a liquor store.

Arnold was there with Lila. The two were sitting on a couch and Gerald had just walked away. If only Arnold knew what Helga had seen earlier that week.

Helga watched becoming more infuriated by the second as Lila kissed him. She was clearly tipsy and she kept trying to take it a step further but Arnold was telling her no. She got frustrated and walked off.

That was it, even if she couldn't have him she had to tell him what was going on.

She went over and sat next to him and he looked at her surprised. "Some party huh?"

"You're telling me," he replied.

"Did you try Sheena's mermaid water?"

He smirked. "I didn't dare. It looked more like sewer water."

"That's what it tasted like."

The two of them laughed.

"Arnold, there's something you should know."

"Yeah?" he said expectantly.

She sighed. She wasn't going to tell him but she felt like she couldn't justifiably not tell him what she knew. A part of her still wanted to protect him. "Your girlfriend is cheating on you."

His face fell. "What?"

"I saw her making out with Lars the other day," Helga said. "I thought you should know…"

"Helga...are you sure? Maybe it was someone else."

"I saw her."

"Lila wouldn't do that."

"You'd be surprised at the things Lila would do."

Arnold was silent for a moment. "Look, Helga, I know Lila has said some things to you but I swear she wouldn't…"

"You think I'm making this up?!" she said incredulously.

"It's just that I know Lila. She wouldn't do that."

She stood up infuriated. "Fine, if that's what you want to believe, go ahead! But your stupid bitch of a girlfriend is probably off with someone else right now!" With that she stormed off. If Arnold was too smitten with Lila to believe her then it was fine. She'd let him find out on is own. Now all she wanted was to find Phoebe and go home.

She went from room to room trying to find Phoebe and came across people beer bonging, making out, or doing some other weird drinking game that she had no interest in taking part in.

When he poked her head into another room she froze. Lila was sitting on Lars's lap making out with him. Helga was infuriated. "You whore!" she shouted.

Lila jumped when she heard Helga's voice. "Helga!" She immediately tried to straighten her hair and her too tight little black dress. "It's not what it looks like…!"

"Oh sure, you sucking face with another guy isn't what it looks like! You're nothing but a bitch you know that?!"

"Who are you calling a bitch?!" Lila said angrily.

"You! You try to act like little miss perfect but you're not! You're nothing but a whore and you know it!"

Their shouting was beginning to gather a crowd who looked on with interest expecting a fight to break out.

Lila tried to stand up but she was so drunk she stumbled and sat back down on Lars' lap. "So what Helga?! At least I can get a man unlike you!"

"You think I'm jealous of you? Is that what it is? You've got to be kidding me! You're wearing practically nothing acting drunk and sloppy all over a guy you hardly know! And for what? Because Arnold wouldn't put out for you and you want to prove something to him? You're nothing but a selfish bitch, that's what you are!"

A look of remorse quickly passed over Lila's face, she knew Helga was right. But it was quickly replaced by a snort. "What do you know Helga?"

"I know that if I were lucky enough to have a guy like Arnold I damn sure wouldn't go behind his back with anyone else! I would treat him with the respect that he deserves. And one thing is for sure, he definitely deserves someone a million times better than you!"

"What the hell?" Arnold said as he came into the room and observed the scene around him. Lila sitting on Lars' lap looking very drunk, Helga angrily telling her off, and a group of people were standing around watching. All eyes were on him when he entered wondering what he would do.

"Arnold!" Lila exclaimed jumping to her feet. She ran over to him. "It's not what it looks like Arnold, I swear!"

"You fucking liar!" Helga exclaimed.

"Don't listen to her!" Lila put her arms around him. "I love you Arnold, you know I do."

There was no trace of affection anywhere on Arnold's face. He removed her arms from around him. "Consider us over Lila." He turned and left the room and seconds later Helga heard the front door slam.

Lila started to cry and it pissed Helga off even more. "Save your tears Lila, this is _your_ fault!" She pushed past the crowd of onlookers and headed for the front door as well.

As soon as she was outside, she was thankful for the fresh air. The smell of booze and the music was becoming nauseating. She looked around wondering where Arnold went and saw him walking down the sidewalk. She was sure he was upset and humiliated and angry and all she wanted to do was make sure he was okay, nothing else mattered.

She ran after him to catch up. "Arnold!"

He turned to look at her questioningly. He was clearly surprised to see her following him.

"Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I should have known things with Lila would never work out."

"She's a bitch anyway, you don't need her."

They were silent for a moment, both deep in thought.

"Helga, did you really mean all of that stuff you said?"

"Of course I did! You're an incredible guy, you deserve the best. You're smart and funny and kind and caring and handsome…" She realized she was probably saying too much and immediately stopped talking. Her face was burning and she looked away from him trying to hide her embarrassment.

But he instead of getting mad and walking away like she expected, he was smiling. "You know, I've been feeling like I've been missing something. I thought that if I tried to move on with Lila then I would start to feel better. I didn't realize that what I needed was right here all along."

"And what would that be?"

He held her hands and pressed her forehead on hers. His green eyes looked into hers, as if he were looking into her soul. "You."

If her heart could have jumped out of her chest it would have. "You mean that?"

"Of course," he replied sincerely. "I'm sorry. About everything."

She felt her eyes well up with tears. "No, it's my fault. I just suck at feelings and being vulnerable. You really do deserve better than me."

He brushed away the tear that slid down her right cheek. "But I want you, for everything that you are."

A smile slowly spread across her face. "I love you Arnold."

"I love you too," he whispered as he leaned close to her. His lips connected with hers and she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as passionately as she could. His warm breath merged with hers, his scent overwhelmed her, the feeling of his mouth on hers consumed her. It was everything she wanted. She felt his finger hook around the belt loop of her skinny jeans and pull her hips closer to him just slightly. A smile broke across her face as she kissed him.

Finally they broke off their kiss. He had a wide smile on his face and she knew her expression mirrored his.

"Wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah, this party is stupid anyway."

He gave her another kiss and they walked down the sidewalk hand in hand.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Arnold woke up the next morning to the sound of his cell phone buzzing. He groaned and reached over to the bedside table. He rubbed his eyes and yawned and then turned the phone on. A smile lit his face when he saw a text from Helga.

 _Good morning football head :P_

He typed out a reply.

 _Good morning beautiful :D_

Last night had been incredible. Sure when he found Lila sitting on Lars' lap that really hurt. He started questioning everything at that moment. He felt stupid for really believing that things could really work out with Lila, the signs were all there especially after the baseball game a few weeks ago.

But what meant a lot to him in that moment was what Helga said about him. He had been wrong all along. Moving on with someone else wasn't going to be the solution to his problem. What he really needed was Helga.

And the fact that she returned his feelings made him feel like it was all worth it. When they kissed it was like everything fell into place. He knew exactly what he wanted from now on and it was her.

After they left the party they went back to his house and spent the night on his living room couch watching movies...and spending a lot of that time focusing more on each other than the movie. He took her back home around midnight and went back to his house nearly jumping for joy.

He went to bed with amazing dreams about her and looked forward to spending the entire day with her.

Suddenly the phone rang and it was Gerald.

"What's up?" Arnold said.

"We're going to play at Gerald Field today, you in?"

Any other day Arnold would be excited about this and say yes without any questions. But right now, he could care less about playing sports with his friends.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I...I have to do homework."

"Do homework tonight."

"I can't."

"Are you still upset about last night?"

"Well…"

"Look man, that was rough, I wouldn't wish that one anyone. But you can't mope around all day over it. You need some way to get your mind off it."

"Look Gerald...I really appreciate this. I mean, it's not that big of a deal though. I'm over it, honestly. But I've got stuff to do tonight. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Alright Arnold, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Gerald."

Arnold hung up the phone then hopped out of bed to get ready to spend the day with Helga. He threw on some clothes and started brushing his teeth. He then texted Helga.

 _Be at your house in 20?_

 _Let's get pizza_

The next day when Arnold came into school there was one person he was looking for and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw her. She was at her locker putting away some books, her converse sneakers were untied, and her messy hair in two ponytails and her bangs falling into her eyes. He thought she was gorgeous.

He snuck up behind her and put his arms around her waist and was immediately met with an elbow in his gut.

"OW!" he shouted.

"Oh shit! Arnold I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you hit me?!" he said clutching his stomach.

"I didn't know it was you! Why did you sneak up on me?"

"I thought it would be romantic."

She couldn't help but smile and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're so sweet football head."

He could ignore the pain in his stomach for now. One thing was for sure, she could definitely hit hard. "I love you Helga." He leaned in to kiss her but was interrupted.

"What. The. Hell."

They turned around and saw Lila behind them.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lila exclaimed.

People around them started to notice and they were all also very shocked.

"Arnold and Helga?!" Sid said.

"Wow, so she really can get a man," Rhonda said.

"Arnold and Helga sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Harold said laughing.

"Arnold, tell me this is a joke," Lila said.

Helga glared at her. "Listen you little…!"

Arnold stepped in front of her. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was about the party and he was ready to tell Lila how he felt about it. "What's it to you Lila? Shouldn't you be off making out with some senior?"

"That meant nothing…!"

"Just like I meant nothing to you right?"

"That's not true!"

"Yeah sure, and I'm pretty sure everything you've told me since May hasn't been true. I'm done with you." He put his arm around Helga's shoulders. "I have someone who's a million times the girl you are and there's nothing you can say that will ever make me want to be with you again."

This time he didn't stop Helga from shoving her middle fingers in Lila's face. "In your fucking face!"

God he loved her.

"Fine! See if I care Arnold!" Lila said before storming off.

Gerald and Phoebe came up to them. "So this is why you couldn't hang out yesterday?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Arnold said.

"I think it's really romantic," Phoebe said. "I'm sure they had a lot of fun yesterday."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they had _fun_ ," Gerald said with a smirk.

Arnold and Helga both blushed. "Gerald!" Arnold exclaimed. Sure they had spent the better part of their afternoon laying in his bed making out with jazz music playing on his stereo, but that was nothing they needed to know.

Gerald laughed. "Alright, alright, I'm done."

They had their first class together but the hours dragged on until he could finally meet up with her for lunch. He arrived at the cafeteria before her and sat with Gerald and Phoebe.

"Have you asked Helga to go to homecoming with you?" Gerald asked.

"I thought that was understood since she's my girlfriend?"

"She told me a few days ago she was going with Iggy," Phoebe pointed out.

Arnold raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why would she want to go with Iggy?"

"Well you moved on, I think she was trying to move on too."

Helga walked over to the table said sat down next to him. The first thing she did was give Arnold a kiss.

"Aww how sweet," Gerald said jokingly.

Arnold blushed. Helga threw a straw wrapped at Gerald's forehead.

Arnold turned to Helga. He had to make sure she still wanted to go to homecoming with him. He held her hands. "There's something I have to ask you baby."

"Okay?" she said clearly confused.

He looked into her eyes. "Will you go to homecoming with me?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Of course I'm going with you! I'm your girlfriend, right?"

"Well yeah...but Phoebe said you were going with Iggy."

"Criminey Arnold, that was last week!" She kissed his lips. "Of course I'm going with you."

Gerald and Phoebe were snickering.

Arnold then threw his own straw wrapped at them. Phoebe ducked and it hit Gerald in the forehead again.

Arnold walked Helga home after school and they spent some time sitting in her room doing homework together. Math homework wasn't either of their strong point so they struggled through it together.

Finally Arnold couldn't take it anymore. He closed his book. "Let's take a break," he said pushing his book aside.

"What now?" she said closing her own book.

A sly smile crossed his face. He reached over and ran his fingers across her cheek. Her face turned red. He loved it. "I can think of a few things." He then kissed her. They melted into each other in a mixture of warm lips, increasing heartbeat, and fiery passion. She gripped the front of his shirt pulling him closer to her. She moaned into his mouth. It surprised him. It also awakened something in him.

He lay her down gently, he was always gentle with her. As he moved on top of her, her fingers tangled in his hair and her tongue explored his mouth. He became more daring, trailing his hand up her shirt. He felt her shiver. That same hand slipped under her bra. She gripped him tighter. He pressed his body against hers, especially the one place they both wanted to be between her legs. She moaned into his mouth again.

It hadn't been this intense before, he didn't feel this deep seated desire for her three years ago. With growth came the need to show her his love in a more physical way. The longer he kissed her, felt her body pressed against him, felt the heat between her legs, the more he wanted to show her everything that he felt for her in every way that he could.

"Helga, what are you doing up there?!" Bob called from downstairs.

They were broken out of their love trance. "I'm doing homework Bob!" Helga called back, extremely annoyed that the moment had been ruined.

The two lovers locked eyes with their faces flushed as they tried to catch their breath. As he looked into the hazel eyes of the girl he loved, he couldn't be any happier. He kissed her forehead. "I love you Helga."

"I love you too." She placed another kiss on his lips and it set his body aflame again. He knew they needed to stop, but his body didn't want to.

Finally she made them stop.

They went downstairs and walked passed Helga's father who looked at them confused. "Who's this?" he said looking Arnold in the eye. Arnold wasn't sure why he felt nervous, he had known Bob Pataki for years.

"Arnold," Helga replied. Bob gave her a blank expression. "My boyfriend? He brought me home last night?"

"Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

Helga gave an exasperated sighed. "Just forget it."

Arnold didn't get the dynamic between Helga and her family. She was an incredible girl and she was extremely smart and talented yet her parents ignored her and didn't take her seriously. Just a quick glance at the walls that displayed endless pictures of Olga and her many certificates and awards showed that they put a lot more value into their older daughter. But he thought Helga was just as valuable and was deserving of the attention as well.

He looked at her and noticed a sad look on her face. That interaction with her father had affected her more than she would ever let on. He lifted her chin and met her gaze with an affectionate smile. He then kissed her lips. "Do you want to play a song for me?" he asked figuring that would be enough to distract her.

"Sure. I'll play the one I wrote for you." she led him over to the grand piano and they sat at the bench. He watched her intently as she began to play a song for him. It sounded different than he remembered it.

"Is this the same one you play for me before?" he asked when she was finished.

She blushed and avoided eye contact with him. "I may have written a few of them."

He didn't want her to feel embarrassed over it. He loved it. He kissed her cheek reassuringly. "You really are the best girl in the world."

"Arnold, you're the best guy in the world. I'm so lucky to be with you and there's no way I could ever show you how special you are to me. And if I ever lost you again I...I don't know what I would do."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Helga stood in front of her mirror on Saturday night. She wore a navy blue dress with a flowing skirt that stopped just below her knees. She had curled her hair and it hung down her back. She even wore a little bit of makeup. She couldn't bear to wear heels though so she took them off and settled for her sneakers.

Despite feeling somewhat beautiful she was also very nervous. She felt stupid for it, it was just Arnold after all. He loved her, he always told her she was perfect, so what was there to worry about? Yet she still worried that he wouldn't think she was good enough for him and that she would mess something up.

She pulled out her good locket from her matching clutch. "Arnold, my love, you're such a perfect guy. You're more perfect than I ever could have dreamed of. I hope I can be as incredible to you…"

Suddenly the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and then started to walk downstairs.

From the top of the stairs she could hear him talking with her father.

"Hi Mr. Pataki," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Bob asked.

Helga rolled her eyes. Of course Bob didn't remember.

"I'm taking Helga to homecoming?"

"Helga!" Bob called. "You know your boyfriend is here for some homecoming dance?"

"I know Bob!" Helga exclaimed annoyed. But once she saw Arnold, all of her annoyance with her father was forgotten.

He wore a black suit with a navy blue shirt under his jacket. His hair was effortlessly messy as usual. He held a flower corsage in one hand. When he looked at her coming down the stairs they locked eyes and a wide smile spread across his face. She couldn't help but smile too. She loved his smile, it lit up his face and if it was possible, it made him even more handsome.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, he reached out his hand and she took it. She stepped closer to him so that their faces were inches apart. They were so close, she could feel his heartbeat. It was racing as fast as hers was.

"You look beautiful," he said placing his forehead on hers.

She ran her fingers across his cheek. "Thank you."

"I got you something." He took that hand in his and slipped the corsage around her wrist.

It was an orchid, her favorite flower. He remembered and that meant the world to her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you Arnold!"

"I love you too. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They went out the front door to Arnold's father's car in front of the house. He opened her door for her and her heart nearly melted. He was _such_ a gentleman.

Her got in on the other side and started the car.

"What do you think is going to happen at the dance?" she asked.

"Gerald and Phoebe will be making out in the corner," he said with a snicker.

She laughed. "Rhonda is going to be wearing some million dollar gown as if this is a runway."

"Watch her spill something on it and totally freak out," he said.

They spent the rest of the ride laughing about what could happen at the dance. Her hand was in his the whole time. This was the kind of thing she loved, hanging out with him, totally relaxed, no judgment, making fun of things. It was perfect.

Soon they arrived at the school. People were getting out of their cars in suits and gowns. Arnold parked the car and they got out to walk into the school hand in hand. Mr. Simmons was at the door checking people in.

Sid got to the door before them with Nadean. He was carrying a backpack and they tried to walk past Mr. Simmons.

"Wait a second Sid, bag check," Mr. Simmons said.

"Bag check?" Sid said nervously.

"It's policy. Open up."

Sid put the bag on the table giving Nadean a worried look. Mr. Simmons opened the bag and pulled out a six pack of Coors Light, several bottles of assorted Seagrams, and a big bottle of Strawberry Lemonade Svedka Vodka.

Mr. Simmons gave them a disappointed look. "Sid I'm appalled. No alcohol is allowed at the dance." He took the many bottles and cans and put them in a big box that was full of assorted alcoholic drinks confiscated by other sneaky students.

"Damn it," Sid said as they walked past.

"I told you it would never work," Nadean said.

Arnold and Helga stepped forward and Mr. Simmons greeted them with a smile.

"Arnold, Helga, so glad you're here!" Mr. Simmons said. "Have fun!"

"Well that was easy," Helga said as they headed toward the gym where the party was.

"That's why you get drunk and baked _after_ you get inside," Arnold said with a wink. It made Helga laugh.

Inside the gym, the lights were dimmed and strobe lights lit up the room. There were balloons and streamers, a food table, a DJ booth, and a photo station. There was a huge group of people in the middle of the room in front of the DJ booth all clumped together in a huge circle dancing.

The first thing they did was get in line to take a picture in front of the back drop made of streamers and balloons.

"Hey Arnold," Lila said from behind them. She was on Lars' arm and wore a shimmering red strapless dress that came to mid-thigh and some white platform heels with the ribbons laced around her ankles.

Helga noticed her looking Arnold up and down. She was probably plotting some way to take him back at that moment. It infuriated her.

"Hey," Arnold said flatly. He put his arm around Helga's waist and kissed her lips. Helga wasn't expecting a kiss that passionate. After getting over her initial surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as deeply as she could just to piss Lila off. She noticed out the corners of her eyes Lila's face was practically turning red with anger. Helga then gave her the finger. Revenge was sweet.

After breaking their kiss Arnold looked into her eyes with a look that said, "Don't worry about her."

She was so lucky.

"Next!" said the photographer.

They stepped up to the backdrop for their photo and took the picture with their arms around each other.

"Look at Arnold and Helga!" Harold teased. "Arnold and Helga sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n…"

Helga stomped oer and clocked him in the nose.

Arnold caught up with her and high fived her.

"You're okay with this?!" Harold exclaimed clutching his face.

Arnold shrugged. "You asked for it."

Suddenly Iggy came over to them looking mad. "Helga, what the hell?! I've been trying to call you all day! I thought you were going to the dance with me!"

Helga had completely forgotten about Iggy! She had been so focused on Arnold and falling back in love with him that going to the dance with Iggy had completely slipped her mind.

"Um, Iggy…" she began.

"What the hell Arnold?!" Iggy said. "You stole my girl!"

"I'm sorry Iggy...to be fair I didn't _know_ she was your girl…"

"Iggy, I'm sorry," Helga said not wanting him to be mad at Arnold. "I mean, Arnold and I kind got back together and I...forgot."

Iggy glared at them but then put on a calm face. "It's alright, whatever, it's cool." He put his shades back on. "I'm cool."

Stinky came over to him. "Hey Iggy, we've got some, um….grass outside the back door if you wanna come take a look at it. It's really...strong," he said with a wink.

Iggy started to walk off with him. "Later dudes."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Stoners."

Arnold was looking at her with a smirk on his face. "You forgot to tell him."

She grabbed his collar to pull him in for a kiss. "I was too busy kissing you bucko." Just as she was about to kiss him, they were interrupted.

"Hey guys!" Phoebe said waving them over to where her and Gerald were at the food table.

They met up with their friends and Arnold and Gerald did their special handshake.

"I love your dress," Phoebe said to Helga. She had seen it before. They had gone shopping together. But somehow they looked better at the actual dance than at the Macy's dressing room.

"Back at ya," Helga said.

All of a sudden they heard a scream from Eugene. He was walking with a full cup of bright red punch past Rhonda who was standing at the food table with the most popular senior in school as her date. She wore a white dress that came down to her ankles with a deep V-neck and had a slit up the side of her leg. She looked spectacularly gorgeous as always and Helga knew for sure she was right about the designer dress costing a million dollars. Eugene tripped over his untied shoes and his drink went flying...right onto Rhonda's dress.

"AAAHHHH!" Rhonda screamed.

"Oh my god," Eugene stammered. "I'm sorry…!"

"You idiot!" Rhonda shouted. "This dress cost $500,000 and it's ruined!"

"Rhonda…" her date said trying to calm her down.

She slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me, I'm rich!" She then stormed away and he followed her.

"Wow," Gerald said with a snicker.

"Spoiled brat," Helga said.

All of a sudden they heard insane laughing as Curly ran across the gym shirtless wearing a crown. "I WILL BE HOMECOMING KING! MWAHAHAHA!"

Mr. Simmons and several other teachers chased after him. "Get back here Curly!"

Arnold and Helga couldn't help but laugh. It wouldn't be a dance without Curly doing something crazy.

All of a sudden a slow song came on.

"We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone…"

"It's our song," Arnold said. "Wanna dance?"

She took his hand and led him over to the dance floor.

"If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

It was a moment she had dreamed of since the last time they went to a dance together. His arms around her waist, holding her close to him. His warm body keeping her safe. The smell of his cologne intoxicating her. His deep green eyes looking into hers.

"I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel

Those three words

Are said too much

They're not enough…"

There were so many things she wanted to say and so many things she wanted to do. Instead, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. It said more than words ever could.

"All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all…"

They pulled away from their kiss and she couldn't stop looking into his perfect eyes. He pressed his forehead against hers and it felt like he was looking into her soul. She needed him, she loved him, and there was no way she was ever going to let him go again.


End file.
